Carrion Comfort

I will always remember this book. A lot of books you can hardly remember reading not too long after reading them. There is a lot of truth in this book wrapped into a fictional tale. One of the best books I have ever read!

I know this won tons of awards and I normally like the author, but this book is so dense, and has a endless parade of characters. Also, I don't know if the author if being pedantic or not, but I actually had to use a dictionary to understand some of his words. And this book is HUGE, so I just couldn't see giving it the commitment it deserved.

Normally when people see a book this size, they think to themselves, "Wow what a great paperweight" but that shouldn't be the case here. Dan Simmons continues to prove that horror fiction is just as much his plaything as science fiction, crafting a big, ambitious novel that succeeds in just about every aspect. It's scary, it's intimidating, it's complex, it's funny, it's full of characters that you're going to either or love but will be unable to ignore. Simmons takes the basic concept of vampires and goes in a slightly different direction here, instead of the typical bloodsucking stuff, here we've got psychic vampires who can infilrate the mind and do many unpleasant things. For the most part the vampires are utterly amoral, using and abusing people with no other impulse other than instant gratification. Until some people try to get revenge. Here we've got Saul, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust who makes it a near obsession to find the monster that invaded his mind in a concentration camp during World War II. Or Natalie, who is motivated by a tragedy touches her personal life by way of vampires who see people as only pawns in a game. And then there's Sheriff Rob Gentry, trying to solve a mystery involving a bunch of dead people who apparently went crazy for no apparent reason, murders that seem to be part of a subtle, but disturbing pattern. These are the building blocks that make up the foundation of the rest of the epic . . . needless to say there are more than enough other characters, and subplots and surprises and intrigue and even horror to keep the reader occupied for many an hour. To even add to the excitement, a bunch of sections are told from the point of view of one of the vampires and her utterly amoral useage of the people she encounters all the while justifying it with no problem for her own twisted pleasure has to be one of the most horrific aspects to the book, the gap between the reality she perceives and the reality that exists is frightening indeed. Not that the book is perfect, it probably is a little too long, if you read it in small chunks you're okay but Simmons is very meticulous in his detail, something long time readers are probably used to. Some things aren't really explained either, one of the vampires is apparently ridiculously more powerful than the others but no one ever says why (but I guess that's horror for you, plus no one really gets the time sit down and discuss it), the concept of "Feeding" he never really goes into even though everyone talks about it, but those are minor complaints indeed. Where it's supposed to work it does, the action is thrilling, the emotional payoffs are staggering, the truimphs are earned even as the defeats will keep you on the edge of the chair. If you've got anything more than a passing interest in Dan Simmons or horror, you owe it to yourself to set a week aside and devour this book. You'll be glad you did.

You don't see a lot of "epic horror" books. Epic sci-fi, epic historical fiction, epic fantasy, yes. But epic horror is a rare beast. Simmons produces a wonderfully horrific novel on an epic scale in _Carrion Comfort_ and I heartily recommend this book to horror fans or to fans of Simmons' sci-fi and recent suspense books.The novel spans more than 100 years and moves effortlessly from first to third person, present to past, and is told by multiple narrators. Usually, this technique fails to hold my attention, either because all of the characters sounds the same, or because one or more the characters have nothing to say. Not so here. Simmons imbues each narrative with vitality and purpose...the overall effect is that you reading multiple short stories that are linked by a common ending and sometimes feature the same characters.The story itself is a horror take on the concept of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. There is just enough of the supernatural element to give the book that creepy feel but not so much that one thinks "this couldn't possibly happen." Buy this book, sit back in your favorite reading place, and enjoy.

The only reason you should ever read a book that is more than 800 pages long is to exercise your brain. This book is a grand endeavor that I gladly indulged in for weeks.It's hard to wrap your mind around this book, but Simmons paints wonderful settings, complex characters and a great plot that weaves in supernatural theories on violence and control.Another reason the book stands out among other hulking, 800+ page novels is Simmons' narrative style, which switches between the first-person observations of Melanie Fuller, a key player in the book, to a dozen third-person perspectives from equally interesting characters.The book is exceptional because Melanie Fuller is a classic naiive narrator. That is, she is so self-deluded that her perspective cannot be taken at face value. Rather, they must be interpreted by the reader with analysis and reading on to see how the third-person accounts decode those same events.In short, this book is wonderfully imaginative. In dusting off this book, you'll also be dusting some cobwebs out of your head and getting those rusty cogs turning again.

I am amazed to find that there is such a schism regarding CARRION COMFORT. It seems to be a real love/hate book. Which surprises me because it's one of the most compulsively readable novels I've ever read. I would prefer not to give away anything to the first time reader (other reviewers have not been so considerate) but I will say that Simmons takes a fabulous premise and works it until your eyes pop. I really can't see how anyone decided that this story was boring -- unless they simply didn't have the patience for a long novel. But if you're waffling on reading it as a result of these mixed reviews I strongly encourage you to pick it up.